Man from the South

The little finger is extremely important for grip strength and opposition. If the soldier lost the bet, he would loose most of his abilities to grip objects. The little finger is important for holding and lifting things. The soldier would not be able to hold his gun, assuming he was a combat soldier. Holding a gun steadily inorder to accurately fire would require a power grip. The pinky is vital to all grip types like cylincirdcal, hook, power and spherical. If he drinks coffee his ability to hold his coffee cup would also be impaired. Holding a tooth brush would also present as a new challenge due to lack of an effective grip. He could not have a strong hold on his gun, coffee cup or tooth brush. The loss of a dinger presents a barrier to Activities of Daily living. 

The wife only had one finger and her thumb remaining on her hand. She would have no ability to grasp objects firmly. When doing laundry, she would be limited to a fine pincer type grip with her two fingers. She could not control any large items in her hands. Picking up a cooking skillet would be a barrier with only two fingers on her hand. The muscles in the hand would not be strong enough to hold a heavy pot or skillet with one finger and a thumb. The wife would not be able to hold pencil and write out her grocery list or pay bills. Driving her Cadillac would be difficult if unable to hold onto the steering wheel and control it. 

A modification for the soldier would be a prosthetic pinky that is controlled by the forearm and wrist. Although it may not provide all function back, the goal would be to restore the ability to grip and control objects like his gun. prosthesis is not an option, the soldier would have to adapt by learning alternative ways to everyday activities (with the help of his OT if available). To pick up his coffee cup, he could grasp his remaining fingers from two hands around his coffee mug to bring it towards his mouth utilizing his palms. A modified toothbrush handle could be implemented such as a finger tooth brush. The bottom of the tooth brush is like a glove that slips onto fingers. The more fingers the brush could fit on would increase the stability and muscle movement needed to brush his teeth. A picture is attached below! The soldier could work on the strength of the remaining digits to increase their ability to compensate for the loss. 






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